Believer or Deceiver?

"Do not be deceived.
God cannot be mocked ..."
(Galatians 6:7)
Precious ones, God's comfort has been a tremendous blessing to me in the past two weeks. No big tragedies have unfolded, just little hurts that the Lord has tenderly soothed. That is a wondrous thing about the Creator of the universe; He is mighty and glorious beyond imagination, yet He loves each of us so personally and so completely. Nothing in our lives is too small for His concern!

So, in that respect, I would love to write today about the joys and blessings of God's comfort. I even chose my opening Scripture: "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." (Psalm 147:3). But, that's not what the Lord has impressed upon me to communicate today. Instead, He has given me the word "deception".

Truly, beloved, I begin to quiver as I ponder the deception that surrounds us today. As I researched the definitions of "deception" (ruse, trick, false representation), this particular one arrested my attention: "an illusory feat; considered magical by naive observers". "Naive" can mean "simple" in a charming kind of way. It also means "lacking judgment, knowledge, and instruction". Precious ones, the children of God can not afford to be naive! Superficial knowledge of God and His Word is not sufficient! The Lord's enemy is relentlessly searching for naive believers, those whom he can easily mislead with his counterfeit misrepresentation of God's Truth.

In Matthew 10:16, the Lord Jesus Christ warned His disciples, " 'I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.' " In 1 Peter 5:8, Peter also warned, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

The enemy has purposed to deceive God's children since he first duped Eve in the Garden of Eden. His method of operation is to beguile, to confuse, and then to destroy. Although his deception has existed throughout human history, God forewarns us that it will only increase as the timing of Jesus' second coming draws near. In the 24th chapter of Matthew, Jesus teaches His disciples about signs of the end of the age. " 'Watch out that no one deceives you. ... You will be hated by all nations because of Me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. ' " (4-14).

In both the Old and New Testaments, God's Word outlines the fate of false prophets. This admonition from Jesus in the 7th chapter of Matthew gripped me afresh in my morning devotion today: " 'Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!' " (15-23).

False prophets will be judged for their deception, even if they are deceiving only themselves. Ministries and churches that are not honoring, glorifying, or pleasing God will eventually crumble beneath the weight of their humanly conceived ideas and plans; those that are outright defying the Lord and deceiving His people will perish. Sadly, those who are deceived will also perish, but not before they have had the opportunity to know the Truth. "The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the Truth and so be saved." (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, my highlighted emphasis).

Beloved, God is just, righteous, merciful, and gracious. He desires none to perish. "First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, 'Where is this 'coming' He promised? ...' But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. but in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him. Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen." (2 Peter 3:3-18, my highlighted emphasis).

Did you catch those two highlighted phrases in the Scriptures above? Those who perished refused to love the Truth. They deliberately forgot the Truth. But, precious ones, what is not implicitly stated in these two Scriptures is what must be remembered: in order to have rejected the Truth, they first must have been presented with the Truth. You can not refuse what is never offered. You can not forget what you do not know. However the Lord chooses to reveal His Truth, you can be certain that all have the opportunity to receive it. "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--His eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." (Romans 1:20). (I encourage you to read the entire Scripture in context from Romans 1:18-2:16).

Well, beloved, this a far cry from writing about the Lord comforting and binding up broken hearts. But, I urge you to be on guard. Test everything against the Word of God. If it doesn't align, run like crazy. "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." (1 John 4:1).

Believe, and you will receive. Deceive, and you will grieve. And, beloved, once the Lord returns, there will be no reprieve.

Precious Father, I thank You for being the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort (reference 2 Corinthians 1:3). I revere You for Your justice and righteousness. Most of all, precious Father, I praise You for being the God of Truth (reference Psalm 31:5; Isaiah 65:16). You are Light; in You there is no darkness at all (reference 1 John 1:5). And, precious Father, darkness and deception can not live where Light and Truth dwell. So, I pray that all who are exposed to Your Truth will cling to it and never let go. I pray that the moment they recognize it, they will not waver from it. I pray for Your mercy and grace to envelope them, giving them a fresh hedge of protection against the enemy and all who masquerade as light and truth. May they hold tightly to You and to Your Word, so that they will know the Truth, and the Truth will set them free (reference John 8:31). I pray in the name of Jesus Christ--the Way, the Truth, and the Life (reference John 14:6). Amen.

"So, as the Holy Spirit says:
'Today, if you hear His voice,
do not harden your hearts...'
See to it ...
that none of you has
a sinful, unbelieving heart
that turns away
from the living God.
But encourage one another daily,
as long as it is called Today,
so that none of you
may be hardened
by sin's deceitfulness.
We have come
to share in Christ
if we hold firmly till the end
the confidence we had at first."
(Hebrews 3:7-14)

For further reflection on this topic, see also ...

• "The Great Depression"

How can I encourage and pray for you today? Please let me know by clicking on "Sparks Share" at the end of today's reflection, and scroll down to the "Comments" box. You may choose to comment anonymously, if you prefer. Feel free to leave your praises and insights as well!
Copyright 2009. Kathryn B. Wells. All Rights Reserved.